Top artists unite for Children’s Hospital

Illustrating a point

Jill RadskenTuesday, August 20, 2013

Credit: Unknown

DRAWN IN: We Art Boston, a group of more than 40 of the nation’s top children’s book illustrators, donated original artwork to benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Artist: Scott Magoon Title: The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot (cover art)

Credit: Unknown

DRAWN IN: We Art Boston, a group of more than 40 of the nation’s top children’s book illustrators, donated original artwork to benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Artist: Joe McKendry Title: Tremont Street, 1895

Credit: Unknown

DRAWN IN: We Art Boston, a group of more than 40 of the nation’s top children’s book illustrators, donated original artwork to benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Artist: Mo Willems
Title: Elephant, Piggie, and Pigeon

Credit: Unknown

DRAWN IN: We Art Boston, a group of more than 40 of the nation’s top children’s book illustrators, donated original artwork to benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital. "
Artist: David Macaulay
Title: Surprise!

Credit: Unknown

DRAWN IN: We Art Boston, a group of more than 40 of the nation’s top children’s book illustrators, donated original artwork to benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Artist: Greg Pizzoli
Title: It's the Best!

Credit: Unknown

DRAWN IN: We Art Boston, a group of more than 40 of the nation’s top children’s book illustrators, donated original artwork to benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Artist: Ian Falconer
Title: Olivia

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In a picture-perfect move, more than 40 of the country’s top children’s book illustrators have donated original artwork for an online auction to benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital.

We Art Boston is the brainchild of Brookline illustrator Joe McKendry (“Beneath the Streets of Boston: Building America’s First Subway”) who wanted to do something in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

“We realized by the time we mobilized The One Fund would be closed. This was a way of helping,” said McKendry, whose wife, Susan Hass McKendry joined the effort which kicks off with the auction Oct. 11 and ends with a family event Oct. 20 on the Rose Kennedy Greenway (weartboston.org).

McKendry reached out first to a few people — fellow illustrators, gallery owners and faculty members at Rhode Island School of Design where he teaches.

“Once I contacted three people, they said, ‘Not only will I help. I will help you get people.’ ”

Among the first was Matt Tavares (“Zachary’s Ball,” “Twas the Night Before Christmas”) who donated an illustration from his new book “There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter that Ever Lived”).

The 37-year-old Maine artist said the picture, a watercolor of Williams at bat, is “the most iconic one I could give.”

“It’s great that Joe thought of this. I didn’t have a lot of cash around so with this, it’s nice to be able to help,” he said.

The McKendrys hope to raise at least $20,000 at the event, which will also include live music and food trucks. Scott Magoon will be there along with his donated jacket cover art from his new book “The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot.” Magoon, who works as art director at Houghton Mifflin, said the event is particularly poignant for him because he was just about to finish running the marathon when the bombs went off.

“I was on Boylston Street in front of Lord & Taylor when the first one went off,” he recalled. “I stopped and the second one went off, and then I realized something very bad was happening.”

McKendry has also organized a Stuffed Animal Portrait Party at Porter Square Books on Oct. 5. Details are still being worked out (portersquarebooks.com), but customers can bring their favorite stuffed animal, and McKendry and his illustrator pals will draw an original picture on the spot.